General Neuro Questions For Final

Question 1

Are the CR and the UCR different responses?

Answer 1

No. Same response to a different stimulus.

Question 2

What is the Hebb rule?

Answer 2

Synapses active at the same time are strengthened over time

signs of this in rats: thicker cortex, more glial cells, more AChE

Question 3

Describe the neural model of classical conditioning

Answer 3

The synapse is strengthened when an incoming action potential occurs at the same time as a postsynaptic action potential

Question 4

Define reinforcement

Answer 4

A reinforcement makes a behavior more likely to occur in the future.

Question 5

Define punishment.

Answer 5

A punishment makes a behavior less likely to occur in the future.

Question 6

What is the “reward circuit”?

Answer 6

The Mesolimbic dopamine pathway. VTA->nucleus accumbens->amygdala->septum

Question 7

Describe the mesocortical dopamine system.

Answer 7

VTA->PFC

Question 8

What are the three phases of biological memory processes?

Answer 8

1. Induction. Initiates modification processes
2. Maintenance. The mechanisms that cause the modifications to stay
3. Expression. How the modification is ultimately expressed.

Question 9

What are the components of the hippocampus?

Answer 9

Dentate gyrus
Subicular complex
Hippocampus proper (CA regions)

Question 10

Where does the entorhinal cortex receive input from?

Answer 10

1. Amygdala
2. Limbic cortex of the medial temporal lobe
3. Association vortices (sensory, motor)

These may project directly, or via the perirhinal cortex, or parahippocampal cortex.

Question 11

Where does the entorhinal cortex project to?

Answer 11

CA1, CA3, dentate gyrus

Question 12

Where does the hippocampus output to?

Answer 12

Entorhinal, perirhinal, parahippocampal cortices

Question 13

The primary output of the hippocampus comes from

Answer 13

The CA1 region and the subiculum

Question 14

LTP requires:

Answer 14

Rapid stimulation of the perforant path

Activation of synapses and depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane

Activation of hippocampal NMDA receptors

Question 15

Describe the process of LTP.

Answer 15

1. Glutamate is released by presynaptic neuron
2. AMPA receptor (not exotic) binds glutamate, allows Na+ to enter, depolarizers membrane
3. NMDA (exotic) kicks off Mg2+ ion, Ca2+ enters cell
4. Ca2+ entry triggers CAM-KII pathway cascade
5. Phosphorylation of AMPA receptors (increased sensitivity/density)
6. Production of NO synthase, arginine converted to NO
7. NO diffuses into presynaptic cell, causes increase in glutamate release via cGMP, altered synaptic structure

Question 16

LTP may result from:

Answer 16

Increased number of new AMPA receptors

Alternation of synaptic structures

Question 17

What are the properties of LTP?

Answer 17

1. Co-operativity–multiple axons acting simultaneously produce more LTP than a single axon
2. Associativity–pairing a weak input with a strong one can strengthen the response to the weak input
3. Facilitation–neurons that work together have stronger synapses.
4. It occurs in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex.

Question 18

What are physical changes to the synapse involved in LTP?

Answer 18

1. Forming collaterals
2. Increased NT release
3. More postsynaptic receptors
4. Thicker/smaller neck of dendritic spine
5. Perforated synapse formation
6. ^ transport
7. ^ size/area of terminal
8. ^ number of synaptic vesicles
9. ^ density of contact zones
10. ^ size/number dendritic spines
11. ^ protein transport for spine construction
12. Lowered synaptic cleft size

Question 19

Loss of CA1 neurons results in:

Answer 19

Anterograde amnesia

Question 20

Damage to the hippocampal formation causes:

Answer 20

~10 years of retrograde amnesia

If medial temporal lobe also damaged, ~30 years

Question 21

Pyramidal neurons project:

Answer 21

From forebrain to hindbrain

Question 22

Metabolic disturbance of the CA1 region can result in

Answer 22

Excess glutamate release, which causes a buildup of calcium, leading to cell death (anterograde amnesia)

Question 23

Damage to perirhinal and parahippocampal cortices can result in:

Answer 23

Anterograde amnesia

Question 24

Pyramidal neurons are mainly in the:

Answer 24

Hippocampus

Question 25

Removing PKC takes away

Answer 25

Place cell field stability

Question 26

Knocking out NMDAR1 receptor disrupts

Answer 26

Spatial memory

Question 27

Anticholinergics do what to learning:

Answer 27

Impair it

Question 28

Early in Alzheimer’s disease, neurons that secrete ___ are lost

Answer 28

ACh

Question 29

How are ACh neurons linked to memory?

Answer 29

Release of ACh makes cortical neurons more sensitive to tones that have been previously paired with arousing stimuli.

Question 30

Where do ACh neurons (in learning) project to and from?

Answer 30

From the nucleus basalis to the neocortex

From the medial septum to the hippocampus

Question 31

Damage to the lateral interpositus nucleus of the cerebellum causes:

Answer 31

Complete loss of the conditioning response.

Question 32

Suppression of the red nucleus causes:

Answer 32

A lack of response, but not a lack of actual learning

Question 33

Can brain damage impair LTM and STM independently?

Answer 33

Yes

Question 34

Why does emotional experience enhance memory storage?

Answer 34

Emotional experiences activate sympathetic NS, which releases epinephrine from medulla.

Epinephrine stimulates vagus nerve and raises blood glucose levels. This increases production/release of ACh and NE.

Question 35

How does NE improve memory storage?

Answer 35

NE increases stimulus salience by boosting signal:noise ratio.

Question 36

The bGH mice were ____ and learned ____.

Answer 36

Bigger and learned slower.

Question 37

The GHA mice were ____ and learned _____.

Answer 37

Smaller and learned faster.